Reviews (page 3 of 10)
Crazy energenic and then its over! A 35 minute live album, wow! Like the previous sam cooke album its like hes racing to see how fast he can finish the concert. And its not a bad thing, this album flies!
Elvis left for RCA and Old Sun records in memphis picked up JLL. Until he married his 13 yr old cousin, he switched genres to country later on but supposedly he lived in the wilderness for a few yrs and then recorded this album. Full of energy and his hits …1965 22 min album or live show, ha
Jerry Lee Lewis was, by most accounts, a piece of shit. But the man could rile up a crowd and put on a show (albeit, a 22 minute show, but with that kind of energy, who could blame him?). The way he slams those piano keys, the way he croons in this ragged way—it’s easy to see why he was one of Rock & Roll’s big stars. I’m a bit torn. I enjoyed the album, and it deserves to be on the list, but 1964 is just about at the point R&R was running its course, and nothing feels particularly inventive about this. I think it’s more about the palpable energy in the room. I’m going to give it 3.5 stars rounded down, but I may revisit that choice later.
I rarely like live albums, and I never liked Jerry Lee Lewis. Why? Because he was a piece of shit. And I really think that he did the same rock n roll thing everyone did back then but worse. This guy just wanted to copy Little Richard as far as I'm concerned. I enjoy Little Richard a lot, Jerry Lee not so much.
3.5 stars Love the energy. Was very fun to listen to
I really like this one. Rock and roll is just a very fun and energetic genre and Jerry Lee Lewis plays this so energetically and aggressively that it's hard to ignore the energy. The primary detractor for me is that it's a live album which I rarely prefer compared to a studio album. I think the same is true here. If I could get this same album with the same energy but without the clapping and screaming over the tracks I think it would be a 5/5 Standouts Great Balls Of Fire Hound Dog Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On 4/5
Didn't like the first song, read the Wiki page, fuck this guy...
I think these raw live albums are the best way to hear rock and roll artists. You get the energy, the power, the frenetic nature which studio recordings lose. He’s an underrated singer, really tearing into the songs, which he propels with his phenomenal piano playing. This is also further evidence towards my belief that money is the best song of the 60’s
Not my favorite. Didn’t skip tho
Enjoyed it until I read all the reviews Music/performance is a 5 but I’m only giving it 1 as he shouldn’t be anywhere near the top of top of the chart. Also agree wirh whoever said all albums should be 22 mins long
I had heard of Jerry Lee Lewis and knew of the influence he had on some of my favorite bands -- especially the early Beatles -- but I had never listened to an album of his. This is as raucous a Rock 'n Roll album as I've ever heard. With this, you can really understand why old people of the time thought RnR was sinful or awful in some other way.
There are plenty of complicated characters in music history. Jerry Lee Lewis doesn't seem that complicated though, just bad. All things considered this does kind of rock. I'll give it 2 stars, for a live recording from the era it sounds great. The rhythm section is solid. The piano is really catchy. I won't be listening again. It's dated, and not really enjoyable considering the context.
I guess Jerry Lee Lewis didn't have a greatest hits album they could slap on here? Classic tunes , good old fashioned bangin on the piano, but silly that it's live
This is an amazing recording -- high quality, and so much power. It's such a shame that I find Jerry Lee Lewis to be such a disgusting person.
4-stars for the music and energy, but 2-star deduction for his shenanigans
12-bar blues, mash the piano keyboard, repeat x7. I'm sure it was electrifying to see live at the time, but doesn't make for a great listen.
Can very much see how this performance would be amazing live. Reading that bio on Jerry Lee Lewis was...interesting. Can't wait for the Netflix doc.
Music ya can’t sit still
Unfortunately a pretty good record. What would have made it better though is if someone came on stage and beat him to death with a hammer.
Insane stuff, totally ferocious playing - rock and roll in it's purest form
Unrestrained and all the same. Good, clear recording. I get he’s influential and unrestrained and goes crazy on the piano but I’ve never been into Jerry Lee Lewis. He always seems a bit corny. Album is good but probably won’t revisit Highlights: pounding and rolling on the piano From Musicboard (OG 1/14/26 [#23] Imported 2/26/26)
Even a pervert can rock the house apparently.
Good
Not On Normal Courtyard Exercise
More proto-punk than anything I've ever heard. Throw in a little Hank Williams cover and you have something great. Also, all albums should be 22 minutes long.
I didn’t like it
It’s almost a shame that Live at the Star Club, Hamburg is barely over half an hour long because purely as a live document, it’s explosive. Jerry Lee Lewis was many things, and most of them deeply problematic, but on stage he was undeniable. But here’s the problem: separating the art from the artist isn’t easy and in this case, it’s almost impossible. Lewis’s personal history casts a very long shadow, and for me it overshadows whatever brilliance is captured on this recording. Yes, he could perform. Yes, this is raw rock ’n’ roll at full throttle. But knowing who he was makes it hard to enjoy without discomfort. So while I can recognise the musical impact, it’s not something I’ll return to.
I think I finally get why the youngsters of the time were going wild for this stuff at the time (and why the old folks hated it). Faves: Money, Great Balls Of Fire, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
I was enjoying it until I read all about the creepy stuff, and I thought, well there are some black people doing this or even better without all of that.
Another "3.5" but giving it a 4 – rocking and rolling, really enjoyed a lot of the songs. Energy is straight electric. Is he ripping of lil richard or is lil richard ripping him off? I'm not sure. Ignoring the incest / pedo-ness of him, though
bara en massa jävla gapande, samma blues ackord om och om igen
This album was recorded in 1964, Jerry Lee Lewis had to be well into his downswing by then. Jerry Lee Lewis vs. Elvis, The Stones Vs. The Beatles, Jodeci vs. Boyz II Men...always have there been musical rivals and ever will there be. This is a good live album, he's like the white Little Richard, and not only because he covers Good Golly, Miss Molly. There's nothing but hits on this album, Jerry Lee knew what the people wanted. It helps that covers were so widespread back then. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On is his best song, no matter what Top Gun tries to push. That's maybe the shortest album on the list, all hits, no filler. I wonder if his actual show went longer and it just didn't make the album.
Can we exclude pedofiles’ albums from this list?
Fun live rock n roll album, back when rock n roll still featured a piano front and center.
aardig, maar zeker geen blijvertje
While there isn't anything too impressive here, this sure is fun. If you love 12-Bar Blues, this is for you. Jerry Lee Lewis really dominates the crowd and he is a great vocalist. Liked Songs: "High School Confidential" , "Great Balls Of Fire" , "Good Golly, Miss Molly" , "Long, Tall Sally" , "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"
Good live album, but every rock n roll song from this era is just loud 12 bar blues. 3
Can we separate art from the artist? Jerry is another example of a horrible person that did a lot of unforgivable things. This album is full of energy, but he ripped his whole schtick off more deserving musicians. Gotta give a 1/5, bad artist outweighs the art this round.
I was surprised that a bunch of the songs were most known from other artists like Elvis, Little Richard, but guess that’s the way it went back then. But fun album for sure. Oh, just read he was a pedo racist though, so knocked it down for that.
Not usually a fan of live albums but this was great!
Great energy but he really overdoes the vocal embellishments and I don’t like the way he slurs his speech while singing. This doesn’t hold a candle to other early rock’n’roll figures like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, etc.
Very fun album. Not much to say
So much energy.
Прекрасный рок-н-ролл
Did you know Jerry's cousin played in his band for every track on this record? Search "Jerry Lee Lewis Cousin 13" to learn more
Шикарные рокенроллы.
Not my thing but good
4!!
I don't understand why they chose the live album over and of JLL's studio albums? I enjoyed it but I'm not a lover of live albums.
Second verse, same as the first—and then the second again. Even with Apple Music offering only a trimmed-down selection of tracks, I got a pretty clear picture of what this concert was like, despite the runtime being whittled down to a brisk 22 minutes from its original 37. Live at the Hamburg is… fine. But as I said at the start of this review, that assessment still stands: while Jerry Lee Lewis was undoubtedly influential, his rockabilly shtick didn’t leave him much room to stretch, a limitation shared by plenty of his contemporaries. Strip away his undeniable piano chops, and what’s left often feels like another familiar example of a white artist repackaging Black musical traditions for a wider audience—louder, flashier, and with his name on the marquee. Did this album really earn its place on this list? I’m skeptical. Lewis came up in an era when churning out radio-friendly singles mattered far more than assembling a cohesive album—and, frankly, when the spectacle surrounding the man often overshadowed the music itself, sometimes for reasons that had nothing to do with the piano. In the end, I get what he was laying down here, and I’m sure it played better live, where volume and chaos could do some of the heavy lifting. Either way, message received. That’s about all I have to say on the matter.
It's what you'd expect from a Jerry Lee Lewis album. Plenty of energy and one-dimensional songs.
its aight
The age old question returns: Do we separate the art from the artist, particularly if the artist in question is dead? Well, Jerry Lee Lewis was a pedophilic deranged lunatic, but this is one HELL of an album. Favorite Track: "Great Balls Of Fire".
Geras bliuzas. Vedė savo 13os metų puseserę wow. Ir pasirodo dalis kūrinių pavogta.
This is fine, I guess.
The energy of this performance is contagious. There are a number of rock n roll classics here that really elevate this one for me. I'd love to have been there for this performance. Tremendous playing and performing by JLL; he could really bring it on stage. Too bad he had to go and marry his 13-year-old cousin (yes you read that right....)! Top tracks: Money, Good Golly Miss Molly, Long Tall Sally, Great Balls of Fire
One of Rock and Roll's original sociopaths at his finest. The first live punk album? It's worth asking. It's the kinda music that, even to this day, goes straight to the nervous system. Try playing this at max volume without bopping your head and tapping your feet, even just a little. Good luck! An excellent selection of covers and a couple of Jerry Lee's classics makes for a perfect blend. I think it's the best cover of Money I've ever heard. I love this album
They call him The Killer because he's murdering that piano. And possibly two of his wives... Genuinely one of the wildest fastest sets ever played. That it's as old as it is only adds to the legend. Completely frantic, off the rails, feels actually dangerous. Few recorded live albums capture the feeling you get watching a performer who is actively a danger to themselves and others while they're onstage. If you go to enough live shows, you begin to notice that type of performer more often but it's rare that they are able to get a full album recorded. Even rarer that they are also uber talented. Favorite Tracks: Mean Woman Blues, Money, What I'd Say, High School Confidential, Great Balls of Fire, Hound Dog, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
3.5
Wow. This one rocks. Musically he completely blows the roof off, morally, too, though in a far more troubling way. The talent is undeniable, and the energy is overwhelming. If you imagine being there live… what a party.
Some good tunes, couldn't have it a lot.,
"Brown was only 14 years old when their son was born" Another one for that niche genre of great live album from a scumbag. Maybe the scumbaggery outweighs the quality in this case.
Didn’t float my boat. Regarded as a great concert, but I’ve been to better gigs than that. Bit of wrong’un too wasn’t he!
For such a bastard, he's created some fun hits. This was a fun listen, at nearly 30 minutes of stomping it didn't leave me wanting for more though.
Crazy shit happening here
Rockabilly bee bop piano rock, right out of the gate on fire. Jerry is slaying the keys, crowd is going wild. I like the sequencing (even though I believe this is recorded from multiple shows), slows it down here and there to let the listener catch their breath. One of the greatest live albums I have heard on the list so far
Lively, energetic and a lot of fun. I can only imagine what this show was like in person - what a rush it must have been. The good times keep rolling with Jerry, even across the pond in Germany. Really fun record, but so short. I'd revisit this one.
An absolutely rip-roaring live set. Jerry's playing on the fast songs is almost out of control fast, like he's about to launch into the stratosphere. The only thing preventing me from giving it a 5 is the similarity of some of the songs, but this is pretty great.
This really deserves it’s place on the list its short so it doesn’t get boring, and it’s just a well performed collection of some of the best songs of the time
Great energy, but very soda-pop counter rock, especially for 1964. Short, sweet, but man was Jerry Lee Louis a piece of shit.
This is one of those situations when you have to ask yourself "Can I separate the music from the man?". Was Jerry Lee a musical and cultural juggernaut? %100. Was Jerry Lee a garbage human? Also %100... even by that time period's standards. Was he a musical genius? That's debatable. If you CAN separate these two things, the album can be really enjoyable: 4 stars. If you can't, then it's a 2 star at best.
I can’t even imagine having as much energy as was put into this performance. No wonder this is how rock and roll took off. He sucks in a lot of ways as a person though, which hurts
It was fine. Ya know, it’s funny. I didn’t know anything about this artist, but as soon as I started listening, I got some bad vibes. And then I read his wiki and it was confirmed that he was a weirdo. And I have a feeling that like Elvis, he as a white man profited off the creation of black people.
he did what
Very fun album! Rock N' Roll made to dance.
Very fun, but the guy is such a piece of shit I can't really rate this higher than a 6/10
Everything you want from a live album- enthusiastic band, great crowd and bit of improvisation. However, every song was quite similar and he was married to his 13 year old cousin.
Definitely a whole lot of shakin' going on on this one! This set is just absolute fire pretty much the Killer killing it! 9.2 ★★★★½
Extremely energetic live performance. 5 stars
I think this is a great album. Not only is it just a great example of pure, primal rock 'n roll, but it's one of the greatest sounding live albums. Not a bad song in the bunch and the band is hot. 5 stars.
No features. No Swedish songwriters. No trap beats. 100% pure uncut rock & roll… And a whole lotta cousin-fucking going on! All killer, no filler… except when it comes to underage cousins. There is probably a lot of ‘fill her’ in that case. 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 for being a tad racist and also for the cousin-marrying thing.
It's a little hard to listen to the first song, High School Confidential, while realizing he was at this point on his third marriage, this time to his 13-year-old cousin who wasn't yet in high school when they married... Also, he only just died in 2022? Given the stories of his crazy lifestyle I'm surprised he made it that far... Lewis is a great entertainer, and his energy is infectious. I'm not often a fan of live albums, but this is a really good one. "She got ruby lips, she got shapely hips, Boy she makes Jerry flip"
A short album - hate to say it but it all sounds the same.
Good old fashioned rock n roll
Ok enough I suppose
Very short but full of energy.
Lots of energy, the baby loved it
Meth
Coincidentally just finished reading this guys classic biography by Nick Tosches. This is his famous live album which is energetic as hell, some of it sounds like proto-punk really. Contains some of his classics such as Great Balls of Fire and Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, amidst rock n roll standards Good Golly Miss Molly and Long Tall Sally. Great stuff.
A live album of cover versions is hardly a great demonstration of an artist. Not bad, just pointless
Energetic and revitalising, a literal banger.
Jerry Lee Lewis manages to answer the question: What if Little Richard was white and married his 13 year old cousin? A question which really didn't need asking.
Twas ok
I first listened to this right after he died, when everyone said this was the best live album ever. It's not, but it's okay; the production is pretty good for a live album of the time. But the songs are mostly the same and his singing is loud, but not particularly emotive. I suspect a lot of the album's reputation is due to his own personal troubles, and to the recording/production quality. This isn’t the wildest concert out there, just one of the wildest caught on record by a white guy in the early 60s. This was maybe going to be a 3 but I listened to Little Richard afterwards and like... Little Richard is just so much better. Hell, Ike Turner and Chuck Berry are less malevolent than Jerry Lee Lewis, more interesting, and not on this list.
Haha wow what a piece of shit this guy was! And even judging this musically, I got tired of his voice after a while. The energy is cool, especially for the time, but if you're always dialed up to 11, it just loses its impact. I was going to give this two stars, but I felt so relieved when it was over, I've gotta give it a one instead.
Doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to traditional rock n roll. Not a bad live sound for ‘64. Short, snappy and the standard length of a gig I guess. The Beatles and stones would’ve considered themselves not worthy in his presence!
Blink and you miss it. Decent live collection here. This is how music should be played.
A frenetic run by The Killer and a super fun listen!
Nope
Veel energie, wel een dubieuze artiest. Misschien daarom te veel sterren.
Probably a classic but not for me
Even if most of this album is covers, can't imagine how much fun it would have been to be at this show, before it was common knowledge that JLL was an abusive, cousin marrying, pedofile, and possibly a murder. Four stars for the recording, a "burn in hell" for the man.
I'm glad this album was short, because I didn't love it. Crazy though there was a time you could release the "greatest album of rock and roll" and not have written any of the songs yourself.
Fun album, but now I have no idea if good golly miss Molly is an original or cover.
Need to read the write up, but overall I dug it!
a great live rock 'n' roll performance. My dad was a big rock 'n' roll fan so this would have been more his thing than mine.
"I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet but your kids are gonna love it." Records like this must have confused the hell out of my grandparents and thus would have been irresistible to many, many boomers. There is a bit of punk energy in this recording which might be the only reason I like it.
A bop of a performance.
rest in pieces asshole
4/5 - quite iconic rock and roll
Nah
Jerry Lee Lewis was an original. One of the Greats. And this album is testament to both.
My vote 3.1
mr lewis, you've somehow made a live album I could enjoy. congrats, your big cheque is in the post. now let me just look this fella up online and see what he got up tOH NO 3/5
Started out good then faded. Kind of mid on me but I do like a live album
22 mins and not a second wasted. This is a great album. Fantastic energy in the performance.
I enjoyed this short album listen from Jerry Lee Lewis! I think this was my first time listening to an album from him let alone a live album. He sounded like quite the performer and the audience sounded very energetic and excited to see him play. I’ve always loved Great Balls of Fire, it is such an electric and exciting song to listen to. I had a great time listening to this rock ‘n’ roll album and would listen to it again in the future!
We stan a brief king! A breezy and enjoyable 22 minutes. 3.5 Edit: just kidding, we don't stan anything about this horrible man, oop.
3/5. Vocal performances and high intensity instrumentals are so fun that you almost forget Jerry Lee Lewis married and had children with his 13 year old cousin.
Ah yes, the racist, pedophillic, incestual, music stealing piece of shit. And this is a live album to boot. Go listen to Little Richard Is Back (And There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!) (1964) instead for an album you must hear before you die. 1⭐️
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Good Golly Miss Molly I think this is the shortest album I've encountered on the List so far, clocking in at a measly 22 minutes, but it's also the tightest 22 minutes of rock and roll I've ever heard. Jerry Lee Lewis is not fucking around in Hamburg Germany. I don't know Jerry Lee Lewis, but I have for sure heard Great Balls Of Fire. Now I can put an artist to a song. Neat. On looking the album up on Wikipedia, I've identified a significant discrepancy: The album is supposed to be 37:02 with 13 tracks, not 22 minutes with 8 tracks. Youtube Music be fucking up- or someone's fucking up. Not cool. I found on YTM a playlist of the complete album by a fellow 1001 Albums traveler. Shoutout to BEAT PATROL 2 for throwing together the album in a playlist.
Excellent
Live recording, first tracks set up the energy for the rest of the album.
F***ing sensational. The engineering of this record really slams home just how loud, energetic and dominant this performance must have been in the room that night. I love this kind of record. You really should hear this to understand the timelessness of a captivating performance. The raw power and impact here makes us consider how popular music became so watered down and impersonal 60 years later.
Not really my type of music. I can see though that people that enjoy this type find this live version also good.
Undeniably electric presence, I would’ve taken more favorably to this if JLL wasn’t one of the most notorious scumbags in music history. Best Track: Great Balls of Fire
Jerry Lee Lewis was a grade-A asshole. Marrying his 13-year-old cousin would get him that label all by itself, but add in some bigamy, spousal abuse, the suspicious deaths of two of his wives, accidentally shooting his own bass player, and generally being a mean, abusive, racist, egotistical, drunken bastard. His style (and this performance) may have been groundbreaking at the time (at least for white audiences), but today it's pretty old-fashioned and all kind of sounds the same. Leave it in the dustbin of history.
A Pioneer who's career cut short by controversy way before the Cancel Culture of Modern Times
Not my thing mostly cause it’s a live album. Some fun songs
Decent. Palatable. Fine.
Decent, over quickly, better if it wasn’t live but a couple of bangers
Great album and live performance!
There might as well not even be a backing band on this, the way Jerry Lee's bashing away you can't even hear anyone else but the drummer most of the time. But you don't really miss them though; Jerry Lee might be a reprehensible egomaniac, but he sure knows how to make it sound like hell is coming out of his piano. All those 50s/60s rock and roll standards can kind of sound tame when you listen with modern ears, like you listen to "Money" or "Hound Dog" and it's hard to understand how *this* was once considered a societal problem. Along with the Sonics' debut album, this gives you all the danger, all the delinquency, all the *racket*. Coming into this, I didn't think it would live up to what I had built it up to being when I was in high school, but honestly it sort of does? Probably I should feel a bit more conflicted about talking up this album as much as I am in light of what we know about him, but like, he's dead now so whatever.
Great big ol firey balls
It's a joyous, highly energetic live album - it's great music, with tons of famous songs, and Lewis was a very charismatic live performer. It's a tad busy here and there but nevertheless it's a great live album, close to 5 stars.
This was an interesting little adventure historically. First off I'll comment on the music part. Quick, energetic, and flat out entertaining. Jerry Lee Lewis lives up to the hype he had in the 50s and could just rip on the piano. Now, the history piece, because I knew about his whole scandal with marrying his 13 year old cousin, but then there's more about how 2 of his wives died seemingly close to each other? And then he shot someone in the chest? Like holy smokes this guy is a key example of separating art and artist (like a musical Tiger Woods), great musician but absolute piece of shit human. So if I'm mentally able to remove the baggage he brings, this was a fun album.
Not bad for a live album. JLL certainly had catchy tunes. I don't love that he called a woman on stage and asked her to shake it - ew.
Goodness gracious the man is playing like his taxi is running outside. His band even loses track of him in the first song. Should have left this one in the studio .
The fact that he dated his 13 year old cousin really ruined it for me, along with the first song being about dancing at a high school when he was like 30
Genial, divertidísimo y con una energía que se contagia desde los primeros segundos. Lo único malo es que dura solo 22 minutos. Esto podría durar tres horas y seguiría siendo una absoluta maravilla.
a lot of ruckus for me
Say what you will about live albums, song covers, or Jerry Lee being possibly the worst human who ever lived. But he sure as hell didn't mail in this performance.
Good energy, sounds fun, dated, and doesn't feel insane.
A great live performance of greatest hits I guess. Big charisma. I'm not sure that this is required listening, but could be. I'm sure some love it.
Fine? 3? Not a Jerry Lee fan but the energy is solid and the musicians are also solid
очередные открытия про источники песен но сверхэнергии я не услышала, просто норм
Great voice and a lot of classics on here. It’s just over 20 minutes though and I feel like there’s not much else I can say about it. Fine listen.
Un disco que se escucha en un santiamén (poco más de 20 minutos) y que condensa en ese tiempo la esencia de Lewis: temazos eternos y explosividad sobre el escenario. Una grabación que te hace sentir parte del público, cuya presencia es un elemento más del show. Jerry-Lee entendió el concepto de lo que debe ser un directo antes que nadie. Era el más moderno de todos y no creo que nadie le supere en espectáculo con tan poca cosa como un piano y sin necesidad de gastarse un céntimo en piroctecnias y visuales. Matrícula de honor.
4 out of 5 It is so unfortunate this pedo cousin-fucker made such great music. Upbeat, toe-tapping, put you in a good mood rock and roll. Terrible human being; amazing music.
Not really my vibe. Did like some of jerry lee lewis his songs but didnt love this album. Maby due to the fact it was a live recording. Overall didnt hate it and wouldnt mind if someone put it up but didnt love it.
It's rock and roll baby
An amazing album despite poor recording quality. Makes me want to be a racist cop in a 50s noir movie who is slowdancing with the femme fatale who is only allowed to be a damsel in distress with this on the background.
6/10 It's all a bit too thumpy blues, but it sounded pretty wild
feels like a very electrifying performance! does this count as like... blues rock too? my first foray into this particular type of rock n roll. tho i rly love the misfits cover of great balls of fire
Quite literally pleasant actually
Quick and easy. Hard to hate (music wise) but hard to love. I hope the actual concert wasn't this short because fuck that. 6/10
POS human, but he could rock. Can live with out him as other played these tunes for us.
WOW this dude sucks! However, unfortunately, this is a pretty bangin live album. I'm not the biggest fan of this style of music, but it's really undeniable how much energy it brings to the table
Solid bit of energetic rock & roll from a guy who, by all his deeds, seems to have been Satan himself given mortal form.
This was fun! High energy the whole time. Similar fun vibes compared to Fats Domino.
Now this is a live album! I'm very much not a fan of 60s Rock n Roll, but with this audience and energy it's hard to resist jamming along with them.
Jerry Lee Lewis was a pedophile who murdered at least one of his wives. HOWEVER, this also has to be one of the greatest live albums ever. I cannot imagine what kind of drug cocktail he must have been taking to play the piano and sing like this for over 30 minutes. If I was a teenager in the 60s I would be hiding this record from my parents. He rarely offers the best interpretation of any of the covers on here, but his intensity is unmatched.
Fast, joyous, and full of energy
Gute Ansätze, leider sehr kurz. Musikalisch nicht ganz meine Baustelle, hätte es daher durchschnittlich eingestuft, allerdings Abzug für die schlechte Soundqualität.
Eigentlich müsste man den Typen auch canceln. Naja. Gute Platte, alle wichtigen JLL-Hits und andere Genre-Standards sind dabei. Nur leider die Aufnahmequalität ist ziemlich beschissen, sodass ich hier nicht die unfassbare Energie höre, die wohl vor Ort abgegangen sein muss. Eine der besten Live-Platten aller Zeiten höre ich hier nicht raus.
Macht schon Laune, aber mir fehlt etwas mehr musikalische Abwechslung. Edit: Die lange ist viel besser.
Das macht schon viel Spaß beim Zuhören, aber ich ziehe Punkte ab, weil das Ding ja direkt vorbei ist, vorallem auch noch als Livealbum. Und ja es gibt auch die längere Version, aber auch die geht so schnell vorbei
Skíthæll. Þetta var líka ekki einusinni það gott. Setti aftur á móti á gamla tónleika með Lil' Richard eftir þetta. Sá gaur kunni að rokka.
Meh
High energy good old Rock and Roll performed at one of the most integral clubs in the world. Leaving behind what makes Jerry Lee Lewis one of the most reprehensible human beings in music history, he clearly performed at an electric and enthralling level, and this is a great document of that.
25 minutes of barely intelligible Rock-'n'-roll. Aaight
😐
Great balls of fire!
It's a balls of fire album! 5/5 Love it
Personal controversies to one side, I really enjoyed this. It's good old school rock and roll with infectious energy. A classic for a reason.
Sencillo, a gusto
Man all the old rock from the 50s really sounds similar. Thank god for the 60s. Still this one was very energetic and pretty enjoyable for what it was.
The quintessential rock and roller. On "Money" the laugh and the yodel cracked me up. Surprises were the blues "Matchbox" and "Your Cheating Heart" for vocals. The rest of the rock n roll banging was just that, rockn'.
I understand the historical significance but this was a tough listen. I expect this was a thrilling show to experience live, but it does not hit right as a recording. “The same note over and over” ≠ energy and excitement for me. Lyrics difficult to understand. Manic.
i don't understand how this was considered one of the best live albums ever
Obligatory start to this review by saying Jerry Lee was rightly regarded as a terrible human for a multitude of reasons, but if we're taking all of that out of the equation and just rating the album...this kinda rips. Short and to the point but a bombastic amount of energy here, and it sounds like he's actually trying to physically destroy the piano. The hits are strong and a few others that I didn't know. I'm not sure how much credit we're supposed to give him for any musical innovation in early rock and roll, or if like Elvis he made a living ripping off lesser-known black artists (I think this is true) but it's a pretty great collection of songs here.
bangers
Liked it a bit though I don't really care for this type of music much
It's a shame this is only 22 minutes long, because it's an absolutely tremendous slice of rock 'n' roll history from one of its biggest names. That piano takes a fearful beating from JLL; you can practically feel the sweat flying off him. The band is into it, the crowd are loving it. Superb.
I find it strange that live albums are allowed on this list. I'm glad "Live at the Star Club, Hamburg" is pretty good. Sometimes, you get live albums that are duds. Even though this album is just rock n' roll, Jerry Lee Lewis's energy makes it worthwhile. This performance would've been better in person. 3 stars for "Live at the Star Club, Hamburg".
There's a lot of energy here and I can understand why Lewis was a great live performer, but this is essentially a cover album making Lewis just a very good bar singer.
Surprisingly fun.
Ghud Ghollie Miz Mollay famously not the title of 1950s film starring Jayne Mansfield♟️♟️♟️ You lose Eastern Europe! 🎖️🇺🇸
(73/100)
Not a lover of live albums with a few exceptions or if I was actually there and want to listen back.
"Money (That's What I Want)" is my favourite sing of this album
Would really be like a 2-3 brought down due to the racism and other stuff
I actually enjoyed this quite a bit...until I read about this guy. Wow a racist nonce who basically owed his whole career to black music.
I was not prepared for the energy, the sound quality, or the overall awesomeness of this record. I imagine a video of the event would be even more exciting, but this is really enjoyable live recording of a not great person in what is apparently called his "wilderness" period? Great listen.
fucker screamin
I think this is the definition of boogie, the piano is the stand out performer. Favorite track was Money
This dude has some strong af vocals.
8 - GOOD
Jesss, see on hea
The further down on the Jerry Lee Lewis Wikipedia page I got, the worse it got. This dude was a real piece of shit. However, he really knew how to make that piano sing. The songs here all have an infectious energy that’s makes you want to get up and boogie. Favorites were What’d I Say, Great Balls Of Fire, and Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
Lots of energy. Some classics some covers. Good 22 minutes of sound
I've been listening to a podcast called "A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs" (which like this project is also written by a Bristish music fan) and despite having listened to 62 episodes I am only up to "Susie Q" by Dale Hawkins - it is a very granular look at the history of the form. But Jerry Lee has already featured prominently in several episodes. He was obviously a legend for good and bad reasons and I think this album does a pretty good job of showing what his shows were like in 1964. And the songs here are all classics, of course. (At the end of "Long Tall Sally" Apple Music interpreted the final lyric as "A lost bubble leave by the lost bamboo," which I found pretty funny.)
Good stuff, very 50's
First song is repetitive and annoying. Most of the album are well-known songs sung with great vigor and is an enjoyable listen. Very short performance.
Album review 012 Live at the Star Club, Hamburg by Jerry Lee Lewis (1964) Rating 1/5 When the 1001 Album Generator dealt me this album, my first thoughts were about separating art from the artist. Is it ok to listen to Morrissey since he outed himself as a racist/fascist, or Phil Spector’s work despite the domestic abuse and murder conviction, or Michael Jackson after he morphed from the abused to the abuser??? With his history of domestic abuse, incest, paedophillia, racism, two dead wives and the associated murder “allegations”, etc, etc… it’s pretty clear in my conscience: No matter how good the performance might be, F*ck Jerry Lee Lewis and Live at the Hamburg. 1/5.
I hope you are burning in hell jerry lee lewis fuck you
I respect knowing your place enough to make your album 20 minutes long
Basing it off of the music rather than the artist because a lot of our faves suck (take that as an insult to our faves, not a waiver for this fuck): How is taking another person's music and performing it with less energy and excitement groundbreaking?
Rock básico e primitivo. Válido como documento histórico.
Proto Vanilla Ice.
basic blues
Would buy
What a piece of shit - but he could play piano...
124/1089 at least it was short… i just have no interest in this style of music, he has charisma, some of these songs are very recognisable but i’m not sure i “needed” to listen to this one not to mention the kind of guy he was… 9/100
Amazing live album. Jerry Lee Lewis was something different.
I’ve enjoyed my previous live oldies … this one disappointed however
Classic rock and roll, beautiful blend of instruments and voice
Quite good.
I haven't ever just sat down and listened to Jerry Lee Lewis. I love the energy that this recording captures.
A 1964 Germany concert.
Intense. But still made me feel icky.
Immediately clocked this guy as some sort of weird pedo before I listened or knew anything about him. And I was right so I will not be entertaining this
1 and a bit ,
I love the fact that this is only 22 minutes long. Get up, do your thing and leave them wanting more. This is a blistering set, at breakneck speed. The recording makes me want to be there. I am never sure what to make of Jerry Lee, but this was great fun.
This sounds a little like Stars on 45 - HIT after HIT after HIT. And all under 23 minutes as well. It's a breakneck speed of an album that leaves you a little breathless. What Jerry Lee lacks in his vocal abilities, he makes up for with the piano playing. It sounds like the vocals of Donald Trump with the body of Jools Holland.
Pas mauvais ! Je suis un peu surpris. La prise de son est mauvaise, on entend à peine les autres instruments (le piano est très présent dans le son) et la basse est pratiquement absente. Mais l’énergie ! Wow ! Donc, de la bonne musique, un peu trop vintage à mon goût, mais vachement divertissante.
It was okay nothing that wowed me. 1. Your Cheating Heart 2. Great Balls Of Fire 3. Long, Tall Sally 4. High School Confidential 5. Lewis' Boogie 6. Money 7. Good Golly, Miss Molly 8. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
Jerry Lee Lewis is a performer. It is special to have some of his great moments captured live, but I almost feel like the songs, tunes, and lyrics are incidental to his monumental ego and stage presence.
One great song.
Shit human. Crazy energy. Would have been an excellent show. Little Richard would have done it better.
Pretty good.. I'm just not into 50s but this performance is pretty good and stripped away the cheese
This is an odd choice of album. I’m not convinced it’s his best work.
Kinda diesel wtf. Raw raw raw energy. I know JLL married his 13 year old cousin but like this rocks
This rocked. Talk about short and sweet. This is like a case study on AWRSOME rock performance. He just gives up on full phrases when it’s better to just kinda shout or mumble or whatever the audience wants. It’s awesome. The songs are a bit samey lol but that’s ok. 3.5
Really difficult to look past his uh history but damn that piano is so good. Dont think i would listen again though, everytime he sings about wanting to kiss someone it gives me the heebeejeebies
Dang. Didn't really Jerry Lee Lewis was such a shit person before reading these reviews. Well that sucks, cause this goes hard.
22 minutes of decent Little Richard covers from noted incestuous pedophile.
Another one that's difficult to review as a single grade. It's a sensational performance, obviously, but aside from everything else about the man, there's the apparent reluctance to credit songwriters and borrowings (normal for the era, perhaps, but it seems like it was particularly black musicians that Lewis struggled to acknowledge). Token numerical rating here: it's a terrific live album but I'm not giving it 5 stars.
I googled it: “marrying his 12-yr-old cousin almost ended his career.” and i don’t know whether the marriage or the word “almost” is grosser in that sentence.
Sure he was an influence on early rock n roll, but his music is mostly nostalgia flashback material now and we really are only reminded he was a creepy pedo, so that kinda shades everything else, don't it.
3.5 - highly energetic and entertaining performance.
I am a big fan of classic rock and man was this album just a fun ride. Never a dull moment. Short and sweet to the point. The audio quality is pretty good and it made me feel as if I was in the audience as well. Solid rock album.
TWENTY TWO MINUTES?!? Wow, talk about setting the bar! Enjoyed the live albums on here so far, let’s see… Okay, reviews are enlightening me, once again. Didn’t know anything about this guy, personally, and it’s not looking good. MARRIED HIS TEENAGE COUSIN?! So many wrongs in a few words. Exiled for that and then because the music was good enough won his way back?! WTF. Definitely influenced by who he seems and LOVES referencing himself in songs. All the songs are classics but feel a bit sick listening to him. As songs and performance and a capturing of rock n roll. Amazing. But just can’t shift that feeling so have a middle of the road 3 because I don’t know what to do!
Very short at least but not bad.
i mean the jerry lee lewis of it all aside
High energy, over in a jiff. Moving on.
3.5. Fun album
The energy on this love record is off the charts which is to be expected when talking about Jerry Lee Lewis. Fantastic choice showcasing the raucous brand of rock in roll he was famous for. Great stuff and we love a 20 minute record. Short,sweet and to the point. 7/10 Favorite tracks- “Great Balls of Fire” “Lewis’ Boogie “ “Long Tall Sally”
Quite fun even if most of the songs sounded the same. Had the benefit of being quite short in length so didn't get boring.
I hated listening to this. Yeah, yeah, it's important, and I don't begrudge its being on this list. And I don't always have a problem respecting the art when I cannot respect the artist. I gave 5 stars to a Kanye album. But somewhere between "Humpin' at the Middle School Hop" and "Goodness Gracious, Girls Lick My Balls," I just couldn't...
Half of this was mid piano covers of songs that he wished he wrote.
0 stars for the man, 3 for the album. It’s a fun time.
This pedophile sure can jam
Good songs on here but it's whatever. Same with Elvis, he only performed songs by other people. Never wrote his own. 🤡🤡
Even in its condensed 22-minute form on Spotify, Live at the Star Club is a wild ride. Lewis barrels through the set with raw energy and reckless abandon, backed by the Nashville Teens who do their best to keep up with his manic pace. The performance feels chaotic—but in a good way. It’s loud, fast, and unrelenting, capturing the spirit of early rock 'n' roll in its most primal form. You have to put aside any personal feelings about Lewis to appreciate the sheer intensity and showmanship here. It’s not polished, but that’s the point—it’s rock 'n' roll at its most feral.
Good old classic rock and roll.
So the jamming piano is big fun and I understand he was influential. But honestly most of his singing was impossible to understand.
Good fun
two things can be true at once: jerry lee lewis is one of the most important figures in early rock and roll (fairly or unfairly), and jerry lee lewis is one of the most despicable figures in rock and roll history. this is a great encapsulation of his high energy stage show, the very thing that made him a pioneer in rock and roll. unfortunately, it is really hard to remove the art from the artist when the artist so infamously did horrific shit his whole life.
I'm not normally one to give an album a low rating just because the artist is a bad person, like I wouldn't give MJ or Kanye West a 1 because of their respective atrocities, purely because in their cases it doesn't affect the music. But in this case, it most definitely does. I can't deny that this guy has amazing stage presence, but the audacity for this racist motherfucker to claim that rock n roll barely existed before him is ridiculous. Rock n roll is a genre that was built by black people, and his music rips all all the same black people he claims have no importance to music history. I can't in good conscience give this album any other rating, and honestly even though the fact that he was an incestuous pedophile doesn't affect the music at all, it's just the cherry on top of how awful of a person he was.
Pretty good. Some songs are great. Some elements of punk far before punk was a thing. However I struggle to really enjoy JLL since he had a very problematic life
Incredible, raw energy. 4/5
It´s all been said
This ruled, JLL has an incredible voice and these live songs had so much energy. Enjoyed this one!
This rocks
Good thing we’re rating the album and not the guy. The seamless transitions are pretty great. Can’t imagine seeing this live.
Every single song on this album is a legend!
….okay….
whatever
Decent
Pretty fun and energetic set. I do wish we got more of the crowd. I liked that kind of stuff. Very old-school but a good kind of old. The vocals remind of of danzig sometimes but im sure he took inspiration from things like this. But at the end of the day its just good old fun. Nothing more but nothing less
I’ll give points for the time and place. It seems like a great event. Not for me now.
Jerry Lee Lewis is an entertainer. Plain and simple. So while his albums and the songs you hear are the radio are fun. Hearing him live is the preferred state.
also good stuff 3/5
My streaming copy was only 22 minutes, I had to go to YouTube to get the full 13-track, 37 minute album. An undeniably rocking and energetic live performance by a real piece of shit.
Otro directo. Voy a decir lio mismo de siempre, que en principio no me gustan aunque reconozco que tienen su interés. De Jerry Lee lo conozco más a raíz de la película y el revival que supuso para su música. Se pasa en un suspiro y no es para menos 22 minutos y 22 segundos. Historia de la música rock. Suena bastante bien y me gustó "Money".
The recording is far better than expected from the late 60's. Hell, Most live albums still suffer from low quality, but this actually sounds pretty full. Now, I am going to not include the man's shortcomings in my star choice. (Incestuous, racist, pedophile. Yike!) Trying to just judge the music and performance. I bet this was a wild show live! The energy comes through here. That's fun. While it's not generally my type of music, I see why some folks love it, especially if they were young when it came out. Even the songs I've heard before, by other or original artists, are amped up here. Sure, it belongs on the list. It might introduce people to a whole style they haven't heard a lot of. The energy alone makes this interesting enough for a listen. Will I listen again? Prolly not. Worth my time though? Sure Gotta give it a 3 though, as it's not groundbreaking or anything. But it's not really bad in any way. It's a good window into the music of the time (or actually from 5-10 years before the recording.)
Great Balls of Fire.
Really high energy show, fun to listen to, wish the quality was better and he wasn't a piece of shit
This live album definitely goes and if you listen to it in the shower like I did it'll help wash the stink of Jerry Lee Lewis off of you.
Energetic and well performed early rock and roll from the time period when the Beatles were invading America.
3.4 2x some classics on here and fun but too short
Jerry Lee Lewis was a bad boy!
While he's problematic as a person, I've liked Jerry Lee Lewis's music for a while. I still dislike live albums and wouldn't opt to listen to this one again but I do like the music.
For my listening, I had to go to YouTube to listen to the full album, as some tracks are missing on the Spotify release. Let me get my criticisms of this record out of the way. This is yet another live album in which the songs are out of order and incomplete compared to the original 1964 performance at The Star Club in Hamburg, Germany. The opening cover of Roy Orbison's "Go Go Go (Down the Line)" was left on the cutting room floor until a 1989 reissue, and the taped recordings of Hank Williams's "You Win Again" and Jerry's own "I'm on Fire" are lost to time. While the remaining tapes were sequenced and edited such that it wouldn't be as noticeable to the average listener, it does feel disingenuous to have an incomplete account of what that concert was like. On top of that, aside from Jerry's more notable contributions like "Great Balls of Fire", most of the remaining set consists of cover songs of existing rock & roll and country standards, for some of which there are superior versions more widely available these days. I'll take the original versions of Ray Charles's "What'd I Say", Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly", Hank Williams's "Your Cheatin' Heart", and Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" any day of the week. Hell, even the Beatles had put out a better cover of Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" by this point in time. That all said, I can still recognize that this was a ferocious performance, a rarity for rock & roll at this time, save for Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Jerry's command behind the mic and piano sounded like a feat to behold, and I also have to commend the backing band for trying to keep up with his pace. Also worth noting is producer Siggi Loch's recording setup, where the positioning of the microphones in proximity to the instruments and the audience made for the best possible capture of the raw energy emanating from that live show. Short of seeing Jerry set his piano on fire, I felt as immersed as I could have been for the performance. So yeah, I'd say Live at the Star Club is a solid, if not complete, live album. It probably says a lot that this was the one bright spot in a tumultuous and controversial period for Jerry Lee Lewis, an aspect of his career that I did not want to bring up in this review. All I can say after reading up on it is that I needed a shower.
20minuuttia melkosta tykitystä 2min rokkibiisejä. Mitäpä tosta voi sanoa. Energinen show ja kovia hittejä, mutta ei oikee 2025 lähe itellä sen kummemmin. Perus solidia kolmosta piippuun
Ihan hyvää rockabilly meininkiä, kuunteli kevyesti tuon 20+ minuuttia kovaa soitantaa. Hienoa myös matkustaa äänitteen mukana 1960-luvulle, joka ajatuksena nostattaa fiilistä entisestään. Tämän perusteella annetaan levylle nelonen, joka muuten olisi vahva kolmonen.
Toimii ja toimi hiton hyvin livetaltiointina. Ei tarvinu ku silmät sulkea ja antaa JLL:n viedä. Tuntu ku ois paikan päällä ollu twistaamassa. Tykkään hitosti tosta pianon hakkaamisesta. Kovat hitit yhdellä lyhyellä lätyllä, ei turhaa paskaa. Täs on tultu lavalle viihtymään eikä pelkästään viihdyttämään.
Tää ei oo kyl kestäny aikaa hirveen hyvin. Annetaan nyt tutusta nimestä yks xtra
Ei nyt tästä jammailusta saanut oikein kiinni, varmaan livenä toimisi paljon paremmin.
Kylhän tästä menosta vois parit ylinopeussakot kirjotella. Ei siinä, uskomattoman kova meininki kyseisen vuosiluvun tuotteeks. Kovaa alkuaikojen rokettirollia. Ihan mahottomasti en tätä primitiivirokkia jaksa kuunnella, niin se sitten puottaa oman arvion pisteitä. Kuitenkin väkevätä meininkiä ja pianoa hakataan kun ulkopaikkakuntalaista jämsäläisellä nakkikioskilla.
Nyt ei kyllä napannut yhtään. Jotenkin koko genressä kaikki biisit kuulostaa näin kasuaalille kuuntelijalle samalta ja jopa vähän rasittavalta. Lisäksi en jotenkin koskaan ole innostunut livealbumeista, vaikka olisivatkin hyvin äänitetty. Normaalien kriteerieni mukaan tämä varmaan ansaitsisi 2/5, mutta jotenkin nyt nappaamisen puute jopa ärsytti joten annetaan vielä kärkkäämpi arvio.
Olisi ollut hieno päästä ko. Clubille mukaan jammailemaan. Hieno biitti Jerryllä. Kappaleissa ei kuitenkaan ollut ihan hirveän paljon vaihtelua. Mr. Lewis löysi selkeästi oman temponsa ja pysyi siinä.
No nyt oli kovaa ajoa! Tietysti Jerry Lee Lewis on myös aika kyseenalainen äijä, mutta kuten jo Kanyen kohdalla tein, niin erotellaan tässäkin taiteilija taiteestaan. Ihan hemmetin kova meno kaikissa biiseissä. Itse Killerin laulu on vähän erikoisen kuuloista, mutta ehkä se menee 60-luvun äänitystekniikan piikkiin? Soitannollisesti ihan täyttä timanttia alusta loppuun, ja onhan tuo paikoin pintaan nouseva kapakkapiano ihan 6/5. Piano on lyömäsoitin siinä missä rummutkin. Vaikka itse kova CCR-mäen mies olenkin, niin kyllähän heidän versio Good Golly Miss Mollystä jää ihan täysin lehdelle soittelemaan kun vertaa vaikkapa tältä levyltä löytyvään tulkintaan.
Short
pura cabilla, JLL siempre es divertido
Wahnsinnsalbum..krasse Energie, geile Musik
Can't imagine how fun that would be to see him live with this.
If this is a reflection of the albums to come, its fair to say ive already done all the classics and I'm left with the dregs. Its live, its boring, I don't have time to listen to this garbage, but I did Waste of time
A really cool cover album, hearing the classics like this is why I’m here. Woudl have loved to hear more originals, but this is one of the better live albums for sure.